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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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Saturday night's matchup between No. 1 Miami (8-0) and No. 11 Notre Dame (7-1) in South Bend is set up to be the biggest game on the college football slate. Miami is looking to protect its undefeated record and strengthen its position as the top-ranked team in the country, while Notre Dame desperately needs a signature win to improve its chances of making the College Football Playoff. The Irish have already lost to BYU and still don't have a win against a ranked opponent this season.
It's a game that could have massive implications for other schools as well. The CFP rules guarantee Notre Dame a spot if they finish inside the final top 12 due to their standing as an independent. That would reduce the number of at-large selections from seven to six, potentially making life more difficult for Big Ten teams. In the latest CFP rankings, the Big Ten had just six programs ranked inside the top 25: No. 4 Indiana, No. 8 UCLA, No. 12 Ohio State, No. 19 Iowa, No. 20 USC, and No. 23 Oregon.
During Saturday morning's episode of "College GameDay," ESPN's Pat McAfee highlighted how everybody in the Big Ten is pulling for Miami to beat Notre Dame as a result. Nick Saban had a different opinion, saying, "Since I'm an SEC guy, I'm all for Notre Dame."
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Saban, widely considered one of the greatest coaches in the history of college football, won seven national championships during his career, including six at Alabama and one at LSU. He also captured 11 SEC championships, nine with Alabama and two with LSU, before retiring in January 2024. He's now an ESPN college football analyst but remains the face of the SEC even after retirement.
It's not surprising Saban would like to see fewer Big Ten teams be in the mix for a playoff spot, especially since multiple SEC schools will be fighting for one of those spots as well. The SEC currently has 10 teams inside the top 25, and five inside the top 10, but it's probably not going to stay that way for long. Many of those teams will face off against one another in the coming weeks, potentially leaving multiple programs at 9-3 and hoping for the committee's approval.
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As for Notre Dame, they still have three regular-season games after Miami: at home against Boston College on Nov. 14, at home against SMU on Nov. 21, and on the road versus Syracuse on Nov. 28. If they lose on Saturday, the Irish would fall to 7-2 with no ranked wins and only three opportunities left to strengthen their resume. That doesn't bode well for their chances of making the CFP, making the Miami matchup a must-win for Notre Dame to get into the postseason.
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